Thursday, March 18, 2010

TOOLBOX REPAIR

A long time ago, back when I was shopping (the used market) for my Gerstner machinist's toolbox, I stumbled across an interesting no-name one that had a few...problems. Like somebody had carved big squarish openings in one of the drawers, and the outer case -- metal -- was in terrible shape, covered with flaking paint in a livid shade of green.

As you can see, the paint was fixable. The openings in the drawer front took a little more finagling:The small holes, I just drilled out to a consistent diameter (1/8") and filled with dowels. To fix the big ones, the drawer fronts were oak and I found some similar red oak, cut it oversize and did a lot of scraping and sanding. ...A whole lot of scraping and sanding. To hold the patches in place, I drilled from the top and bottom of the drawer front and glued in more 1/8" doweling. At some time in the past, black ink or paint has spilled down drawer fronts, too; the only fix for that was sanding and refinishing, though I didn't want it piano-glossy like a new one. What's on it is mostly dark boiled linseed oil and multiple coats of wax. You can still see where the stain was but it's not too bad.

Trivia: The edge detail at the top of the drawers is a bead -- that's the rounded bit -- and a quirk, which is the little square-bottomed groove between the bead and the rest of the drawer front. This example's only a little quirky. Traditionally made with a custom plane, a scratch stock or (cheater!) router bit of the proper profile. The look can be faked with nothing more than a large flathead woodscrew, a bit of scrap wood and some sanding, but that's a story for another time.

My guess for the holes was a switch and an AC socket. There's a 3/8" hole in the drawer back and the back of the toolbox and I figured a previous owner had wired it up and plugged his soldering iron in there. But it's only a guess.

But it gives the impression of Sapient Pearwood. It has been places and seen things, some of which it did not approve. For now, it has a look of waiting, undecided, for the next call upon the ancient magics it has known and a chance to witness the talents and skills of its new owner.

I have the impression that any battery placed in it will expire immediately and any electronic device may become infested with mysterious intermittents. Perhaps the chest should house only handtools until it becomes acclimated to its new station.

RETROTECHNOLOGIST?

I KNEW THE LOSS WAS SERIOUS WHEN I SAW THE NEWSPAPER JUNK THEIR OLD PRINTING PRESSES. Seeing it myself made it real. Ripped the heart right out of that building and that paper.It's not why newspapers are dying but it is one reason why they die largely unmourned.I'm pushing back.Typewriters, Dial Telephones, Hand Tools, Old Amateur Radio Gear, Telegraph Keys, Analog Volt Ohmmeters, Vacuumatic Coffeemakers, Slide Rules, Fountain Pens, etc.: I have 'em. I use 'em.

It's not political.There are other places for that. People who love old technology can be found all across the spectrum. Let's concentrate on what we have in common.

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